What I Learned This Christmas

I’ve had my parents in town for the past 4 days and it has been wonderful. We’ve been caught in the rain a few times, been shopping together, had dinners cooked for us, and of course I made our Christmas dinner – which turned out to be very nice!

I’ve seen my mother laugh so hard she cried and my father is always doing the weirdest things to lift the mood.

Everything I see is starting to cement the need for family to be around me. Having my mother and father here for Christmas makes me feel just a little more at home within myself, not to mention the feeling of happiest too.

My best mate lives with his brother, my new close girl friend has her sister in this city, my ex and now good friend has his parents and brother here and my new romantic partner has family upon family – auntie, uncle, mother, step-father, sister, and son.

I must be nice to step into the next room, or drive over to the next suburb, and bug your family.

Mine are all over the place. Closest are my parents, an hour away. Then some of my cousins and things about 2 hours. Most are around Sydney. Some more up in Queensland, and some even in the middle of Australia somewhere… and then there’s my brother, all the way down in Melbourne.

I know what you’re thinking… I am starting to get the urge for the pitter-patter of tiny feet and a family of my own. While I wouldn’t argue with you on that, I’m no where near that goal yet. I’m still yet to sort out some kind of stable income and a passion that has me content before I start to raise my own youngens. Oh, and, you know, find a suitable male to share my life with… even though I will eternally be an independent woman.

There is nothing like family.

The one thing I suppose that’s different to all the previous years is that this year I’ve overcome a lot of mental health issues and the appeal to shut myself off from the world is gone.

Before, with heightened anxiety and panic, it was a necessity to be able to rid myself of others and lock the door on everything.

Now there is a big, wide world out there and I need to feel connected to it. I have the strength to be a part of something bigger than myself.